Make It Now, Host Later: My Favorite Freezer-Friendly Recipes for the Holidays

Your freezer is about to become your new hosting BFF. She’s your secret weapon for holiday hosting with joy instead of dread. The trick is double-batching: doubling the freezer-friendly recipes you’re already making and stashing one (or both) away for future hosting moments. I call it loving your future self. Make it now, host later.

Then when the holidays fill up with Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, a December brunch, or friends who drop by on a Tuesday night, you won’t be starting from scratch. You’ll pull something out, let it thaw, and set the table. It’s not perfect, and it doesn’t have to be. It’s just ready, and ready is what lets you actually enjoy the people around your table.

Below are my favorite freezer-friendly recipes, plus how I wrap, label, and reheat everything, and a simple make-ahead timeline to get you from now through New Year’s.

How the double-batch method works

You don’t need a freezer-cooking marathon or a free Saturday. You just need to make a little extra of what you’re already making.

1. Pick something you’re already cooking. Choose a family favorite or something on this week’s menu that freezes well.
2. Double the recipe. Most of the work, like the chopping, measuring, and dishes, is already done, so the second batch takes only a few more minutes.
3. Eat one, freeze one. Let the second batch cool completely, then wrap it well and label it.
4. Repeat a few times. Three or four doubled recipes between now and Thanksgiving gives you a well-stocked freezer by December.
5. Pull, thaw, and gather. When someone’s coming over, your main dish or dessert is already done. Spend your energy on the table and the people.

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My favorite freezer-friendly recipes

Holiday breakfasts and brunch

Lemon Ginger Scones GF option: Freeze them unbaked. Goes straight from freezer to oven. Bake them fresh, and Christmas morning practically takes care of itself.

Italian Sausage Mini Frittatas: These freeze beautifully and reheat in minutes, which makes them perfect for houseguests, a brunch spread, or a quick breakfast on a busy December morning.

Family Favorite on Christmas Morning: Most grocery store bakeries sell pastries that are baked from frozen and often sell the frozen pastries to customers. Ask for them at the bakery counter, stock your freezer, create some freshly baked magic on Christmas morning. Trader Joe’s croissants are our favorite and rise overnight on the counter then bake up flaky and golden in 25 minutes. See more here.

Cozy mains

Pozole : Soups and stews are a freezer’s best friend, and pozole gets even better after a day or two. Freeze the broth and meat, then set out fresh toppings like cabbage, radishes, lime, and chips when you serve.

Satisfying Carnita Stew: Make the stew, leave off toppings, store in these reusable freezer containers perfect for soups.

Chile: One of the best things to come out of the freezer on a cold winter evening when Christmas shopping has just about done you in.

Starter

The Easiest Artichoke Dip: (Grab this recipe and video on Instagram) Comes together in 10 minutes, freeze it unbaked, goes directly into the oven.

Desserts

The Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (GF version included): This can be frozen as a whole loaf or individual slices. For the whole loaf: Leave the loaf wrapped in its foil or plastic on the counter for 3 to 4 hours until completely thawed. For slices: Pop a frozen slice straight into the toaster or toaster oven for a few minutes. This gives you warm, soft bread with delicious crispy edges. Or microwave them wrapped in a paper towel for 20 – 30 seconds.

Pie Crust (Ultimate GF version included): If I’m making one pie crust, I’m making two! I’ll double this recipe, store pie dough discs in my freezer, then thaw them overnight in the fridge. Pie just became so much easier!

Double Iced Brownies: Freeze them naked or double iced, you’ve got options. Make sure they’re completely chilled first, then cut into squares, frozen on a sheet pan, stored in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer bag. Pull out the amount you need and thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Gingerbread Cake with Vanilla Syrup: Grab this recipe and double it immediately. Freezes beautifully all wrapped up as suggested below, then thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with my vanilla syrup or ice cream!

Freezer staples

5-Minute Tomato Sauce

This is the sauce I always keep in my freezer. It comes together in about five minutes, and frozen in cubes it’s ready whenever you are: for a quick pasta night, homemade pizza, or spooned warm next to burrata with plenty of sourdough for dipping.

YIELDS about 3½ cups · PREP TIME 2 mins · COOK TIME 5 mins

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Grated Parmesan, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a cold saucepan, combine the olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and garlic. Set it over medium-high heat and stir with a wooden spoon as it warms. Once it starts to sizzle, cook for 45–60 seconds, just until fragrant. Don’t let the garlic brown.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 2 minutes.
3. Take the pan off the heat. Taste and add more salt if needed.
4. Stir in most of the lemon zest, saving a little to sprinkle on top. Finish with grated Parmesan, of course!

TO FREEZE

1. Let the sauce cool completely.
2. Spoon it into silicone freezer cube trays. Half-cup or one-cup portions work well.
3. Freeze until solid, about 4 hours. Then pop the cubes out into a labeled freezer bag.
4. Freeze for up to 3 months.

TO REHEAT

Warm the cubes from frozen in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring now and then, for 8–10 minutes, until the sauce is hot. Or microwave them in a covered bowl in 1-minute bursts. Grate on a little fresh lemon zest before serving to brighten it up.

HOW MUCH TO PULL

• Pasta night: 3–4 cups for 1 lb of pasta
• Pizza night: about ½ cup per 12-inch pizza
• Burrata and sourdough: 1 cup, warmed

Pumpkin Spice Protein Bites

Chocolate Pistachio Bark or Chocolate Toffee Bark

Maple Chili Crunch Nuts

Easy Appetizer using frozen leftover Cranberry Sauce

Sugar Cookie Dough

Freezer tips that make it work

A few small habits keep frozen food tasting like you just made it.

• Cool it completely first. Warm food makes ice crystals, and ice crystals mean freezer burn.
• Wrap it twice. Use plastic wrap and then foil, or a freezer bag with the air pressed out. Cakes and breads especially like the double layer.
• Freeze flat. If not using these freezer cubes, then lay soups and sauces flat in freezer bags. They freeze faster, stack neatly, and thaw quickly.
• Label everything. Write the name, the date, and the reheating instructions. Future you won’t remember what’s in the foil.
• Use it within about three months. Most baked goods, soups, and casseroles taste best in that window.
• Thaw in the fridge. Move dishes to the fridge the night before, or 24 hours ahead for larger dishes.
• Reheat low and slow. Cover casseroles with foil and reheat at around 350°F until hot in the center. Warm soups gently on the stove.

A simple make-ahead timeline

If you start now, here’s how easily it comes together.

• Mid-November: Double one dessert and one breakfast. A cake and the baked French toast are a great place to start.
• The week before Thanksgiving: Double a side, like rolls or a dip, and freeze pie crusts. Thanksgiving week just got a lot lighter.
• Thanksgiving week: Move anything you’re serving to the fridge to thaw 1 to 2 days ahead. Enjoy the holiday.
• Early December: Double a cozy main, like a soup or a casserole, for the busy weeks ahead.
• Mid-December: Stock up on drop-by treats and a Christmas morning breakfast.
• Christmas through New Year’s: Pull, thaw, gather, and repeat.

Avoid Overwhelm

You don’t have to do all of this. Start with one recipe. Double it, freeze it, and notice how good it feels to open the freezer in December and find a gift from your past self.

Hosting during the holidays isn’t about doing everything from scratch the day of. It’s about making room to actually be present when people walk through your door. A full freezer gives you that room.

If you want even more help getting ready, my Countdown to Thanksgiving guide walks you through the whole season step by step. Linked here. I’ve also created a delicious make-ahead Fall Holiday Menu with a hosting timeline to take all the decision fatigue off your shoulders.

Now tell me: what’s one family favorite you’re doubling this week? Come find your table. I’ve been waiting for you.

XOXO,